A SURGE of community spirit swept through the Mallee when Country Women’s Association of Victoria president Jenny Nola attended the Murray Valley Conference earlier this month.
After visiting the Mildura branch for an AGM conference, Ms Nola called into Swan Hill to discuss community initiatives and the future of the CWA in the region.
With nearly 100 years of history behind them, the women of the CWA have cultivated a legacy that goes far beyond tea and scones.
“Everybody says, ‘Oh, you’re all about scones,’” Ms Nola said.
“Well, yes, we are about scones, but we’re far more than that. Scones are a brilliant way of helping us raise funds”.
With the primary purpose of supporting women, children, and families in need of support, the CWA advocates for the community through a range of statewide and national initiatives.
“We support vulnerable women, children, and families. We make stroke cushions and mastectomy cushions for women who have lopsided chests.
“We also hold lots of breakfast programs across the state, and sadly, we even do kindergarten breakfasts for the children who are coming to kindergarten without having food”.
While supporting vulnerable communities has consistently been a priority for branches across Victoria, Ms Nola is actively looking for strategies to enhance the appeal to younger generations.
“Membership is always a really big priority for us,” she said.
“Not only would we like to retain members, but we want to open new branches in rural communities. A lot of our members work during the day, and one of the things that has happened in the last 10 years is that a lot of our branches are now night branches.”
Ms Nola said the night branches appealed to young women whose daytime commitments prevented them from attending regular meetings.
“We’ve got a young branch that is primarily young mums in their 30s,” she said.
“Having the nighttime meetings appeal to young women because they are able to fit it into their busy schedules”.
Branches across the state are hosting a wave of initiatives with a focus on equipping young people with the essential skills needed for the future.
“One of the other things that we do around the state, in various places, is teach kids how to do basic cooking, use leftovers to make a basic meal, and how to do little things like sew a button back on, or when the hem of your skirt or pants comes down – we teach them how to take it back up,” Ms Nola said.
“We have quite a few juniors that are learning basic crafts. They’re learning how to run a meeting, how to do an agenda. Because they’re really important skills for young people to know before they go out into the working life.”
Ms Nola said the CWA helped reduce social isolation, a challenge faced by many people in later life.
“The CWA as a whole, across the entire nation, is a really great way of preventing social isolation, and that’s a major problem in all communities”.
